Star anise (Illicium verum Hook) is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavour, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp. It is native to southern China and northern Vietnam and is grown almost exclusively in southern China, Indochina and Japan. The spice was first introduced into Europe in the 17th century. The oil, produced by a process of steam distillation, is substituted for European an...

BACKGROUND Recently, increasing evidence has indicated that the primary acupuncture effects are mediated by the central nervous system. However, specific brain networks underpinning these effects remain unclear. RESULTS In the present study using fMRI, we employed a within-condition interregional covariance analysis method to investigate functional connectivity of brain networks involved in a...

Antibacterial activity of crude extracts of culinary spices like Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum), Star anise (Illicum verum Hook fruit) and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) against some of the common fish bacterial pathogens like Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas salmonicida and Edwardsiella tarda were explored by finding minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). A twofold serial dilution of compounds ...

BACKGROUND Acupuncture may improve motor function in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke, yet the neural mechanisms underlying such an effect are unknown. As part of a sham-controlled, randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a 10-week acupuncture protocol in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke, we examined the relationship between changes in function of the affected upper li...

BACKGROUND Haemophilus ducreyi is the bacterium responsible for the genital ulcer disease chancroid, a cofactor for the transmission of HIV, and it is resistant to many antibiotics. With the goal of exploring possible alternative treatments, we tested essential oils (EOs) for their efficacy as antimicrobial agents against H. ducreyi. METHODS We determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (...

OBJECTIVES Neurotransmitters regulate mood, attention vigilance and other clinical symptoms linked with depression. Various medications ameliorate symptoms of depression and mood disorders by interference with the serotonic metabolism. Serotonin metabolism depends on nutritional cofactors such as pyridoxin together with essential mineral and trace elements. Both, inflammation and metabolic cond...

Acupuncture, an ancient East Asian therapy, is aimed at rectifying the imbalance within the body caused by disease. Studies evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture with neuroimaging tend to concentrate on brain regions within the pain matrix, associated with acute pain. We, however, focused on the effect of repeated acupuncture treatment specifically on brain regions known to support functions d...

The objective was to investigate the stimulating and normalizing effect of the adaptogen Rhodiola rosea extract SHR-5 in foreign students during a stressful examination period. The study was performed as a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled with low repeated dose regime. The study drug and the placebo were taken for 20 days by the students during an examination period. The physical...

The Zinc oxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using nitrate as the precursor and extract of Illicium verum was used reducing stabilizing agent. Synthesized particles in nano size characterizedby FT-IR, Ultraviolet-visible SEM & XRD techniques. formed confirmed zinc by UV- Visible, FT-IR spectroscopic data gave results regarding structure prepared nano-sized particles. According...